Published: Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 4:34 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 4:34 p.m.

Fall at Connemara was fun for the Sandburgs. Carl Sandburg's grandchildren would be there, and it was an active time of the year.

Visitors at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock celebrated that time of the year on Saturday with corn fairies, goats and puppets at the annual Fall into the Farm festival.

"There were always young voices and laughter around the property," said Sarah Perschall, chief of visitor services.

The goal of Saturday's celebration was to elicit the same happiness that ran rampant when Carl Sandburg's grandchildren visited and the farm shifted its focus to the oncoming fall season.

Grayson Morris got the festivities started with three tales to entertain the kids on Saturday morning.

Morris, a comedienne storyteller and puppeteer, brought to life a Japanese folktale about a stonecutter who became wealthy, transformed into a king, the sun, clouds, wind and a mountain.

Morris guided the children through the tale with creative puppets that brought the tale to life.

They followed the "stonecutter" tale with a Carl Sandburg story and a tale about how the raven became black.

She kept the kids' attention with a tale that started with snow falling. The animals were concerned with how cold the snow was, so they sent the rainbow-colored raven to the creator. It was too late to rid the world of the snow, so the creator sent the raven back with fire.

The fire burned the raven's coat, and the multi-colored splendor was gone, replaced with black feathers. The fire also burned the raven's voice, causing its song to disappear.

"I liked the rainbow feathers," 6-year-old Jenna Frady said shyly.

Frady was leaving the puppet show en route to making a corn fairy with her grandparents, Randy and Debbie Hefner. This was their first visit to the Sandburg home.

"We thought it'd be something fun to for her and us," Randy Hefner said.

That's what staff members try to accomplish every fall. They want to instill the fun that was had during the fall at the Sandburg home. Perschall felt that the festival captures that.

Every year they "bring back some of the laughter and exploration," she said.

<p>Fall at Connemara was fun for the Sandburgs. Carl Sandburg's grandchildren would be there, and it was an active time of the year.</p><p>Visitors at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock celebrated that time of the year on Saturday with corn fairies, goats and puppets at the annual Fall into the Farm festival. </p><p>"There were always young voices and laughter around the property," said Sarah Perschall, chief of visitor services.</p><p>The goal of Saturday's celebration was to elicit the same happiness that ran rampant when Carl Sandburg's grandchildren visited and the farm shifted its focus to the oncoming fall season.</p><p>Grayson Morris got the festivities started with three tales to entertain the kids on Saturday morning. </p><p>Morris, a comedienne storyteller and puppeteer, brought to life a Japanese folktale about a stonecutter who became wealthy, transformed into a king, the sun, clouds, wind and a mountain.</p><p>Morris guided the children through the tale with creative puppets that brought the tale to life. </p><p>They followed the "stonecutter" tale with a Carl Sandburg story and a tale about how the raven became black. </p><p>She kept the kids' attention with a tale that started with snow falling. The animals were concerned with how cold the snow was, so they sent the rainbow-colored raven to the creator. It was too late to rid the world of the snow, so the creator sent the raven back with fire. </p><p>The fire burned the raven's coat, and the multi-colored splendor was gone, replaced with black feathers. The fire also burned the raven's voice, causing its song to disappear. </p><p>"I liked the rainbow feathers," 6-year-old Jenna Frady said shyly. </p><p>Frady was leaving the puppet show en route to making a corn fairy with her grandparents, Randy and Debbie Hefner. This was their first visit to the Sandburg home.</p><p>"We thought it'd be something fun to for her and us," Randy Hefner said.</p><p>That's what staff members try to accomplish every fall. They want to instill the fun that was had during the fall at the Sandburg home. Perschall felt that the festival captures that. </p><p>Every year they "bring back some of the laughter and exploration," she said.</p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>